


Moonseeker : The Emperor of Stars

by FirenationMoonseeker



Series: Moonseeker [1]
Category: Lotor - Fandom, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-01-05 06:05:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18360128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FirenationMoonseeker/pseuds/FirenationMoonseeker
Summary: The young scientist has a heart of gold, too good to survive in the harsh lab world of particle physics, yet she musters all her courage when fate drops Emperor Lotor in her lab by accident. Lotor wants to go back into space, but Earth in the year 2020 ist full of pitfalls for a tall purple man. So they stumble around the planet trying to find a way to change the course of time itself.





	1. The man who fell from space

The faint beeping sound alerted the Scientist, who had been controlling the monitoring software. It was just a scheduled scan, nothing out of the ordinary. She clicked the alert away and stretched her back, spinning around in her lab chair. It was the evening after the great test, all had run smoothly. They were writing history. Celebrations were due, but she felt uncomfortable in social settings, so she still sat at her desk crunching numbers. Her colleagues all had left for dinner in a fancy restaurant, but she was just a paygrade III scientist, a data cruncher. The head of research always misspoke her name and made her feel irrelevant, the racist and sexist jokes added to the atmosphere of dread. She enjoyed being able to exhale for once at work. The scientist was sure that nobody would miss her at the celebrations. Everybody was leaving for home during Easter and they had all off seven days. She had even taken off two weeks to finally get some things sorted out at home.  
She had told her colleagues that she was still very anxious about the machinery and wanted to check if anything had been damaged during the trials. She knew that they had acquired several terabytes of data to analyze and hopefully would find particles, possibly even from other universes. Absentmindedly she put on some hand cream and looked at her iPhone, 8 PM. She messaged her team on Threema that she'd come in later (or not at all), they were to start dinner without her. They knew that she was as persistent as a pitbull once she took a dive into the data.  
She sighed, then jolted up and put on her hazmat suit. She went out from her office into the hallway where behind a security door was the highly sterile facility. She was in the inner core of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the particle physics facility near Geneva in Switzerland where scientists from around the world were looking for new quantum particles such as the Higgs Boson. The security door led her to a chamber where she was cleaned and dried before she entered the clean room. The clean room was a big concrete hall full of long tubes. The particles and collisions thereof would fly through the tubes and be detected by various sensors during their flight . She picked up a portable air detector which looked like a tiny suitcase. It would detect any air flow and also do a rudimentary particle analysis of what was leaking out. She also checked every screw, every bit of wiring and insulation with a UV-Lamp until she was satisfied.  
There seemed to be no damage on the tube. She was just getting ready to leave the hall when she noticed something glistening in the corner. It was iridiscent, like a rainbow. Was it a reflection? Scientist sighed and approached the anomaly. Hopefully no leak, their budget was already stretched and she had no intention whasoever to fill out another grant form and beg for more funding. Her assignment was temporary and her contract would run out in three months. She wanted to have it renewed, so no slipups!  
The iridiscent light was hanging in the room. Like a rift in reality. As if she were in a film and someone had cut right through it. She felt slightly uneasy as she was alone. She had left her iPhone on the desk, so she was not able to record it. They had security footage from the cameras positioned on top of the tube. She was too afraid that the anomaly would just vanish if she'd leave the room. Scientist extended her shaking hand. Her gloved hands approached the rift and when her finger touched it, it jolted her away across the room and at the same time it expanded into a spinning abyss. There was a bright light and then Scientist lost consciousness.  
A few minutes later Scientist woke. She had trouble breathing in her Hazmat suit, she was lying on her breathing tube. Scientist swiftly got up and checked the room. The rift was gone, but there was something or someone else in the room with her. Whatever it was, it lay on the ground next to the tube and had a humanoid form and covered in green weblike goo. It was huge. Scientist slowly approached the figure. It seemed unconcsious. Well, whatever it was the room was contaminated. And how should she explain all of it to her boss the Professor. He was being handled for a Nobel, and if she'd fuck this up, her scientific career would be nothing but a distant memory while she'd be crafting birdhouses in some retraining program of the very social Swiss unemployment system. She cursed through her strained lips while she examined the figure. It was NOT human, but alive. It looked like a human man, but he had lavender coloured skin and white hair covered in green goo. He was very tall and lithe and handsome, very handsome. She blushed. Of all emotions this was the emotion she had expected the least when meeting an otherworldly life form. He was wearing a black suit with blue and creepily orange adornments which were almost not visible under the green gooey mass covering him. His face was serene and calm. She sat down by his side and checked his vitals. She couldn't help but put a strand of hair out of his face but it popped just back into place, which made her smile. Scientist was impressed by the looks of this Alien creature. Was this an oxygen breather? She held the sensor of her airflow detector next to his mouth. Carbondioxide, CO2. They seemed to breathe oxygen and exhalte CO2 like all mammalians on Earth. The goo was just phytoplankton with no particular properties requiring more investigation. It would go through their waste treatment plant once it was hosed away.

"Allô? Hello? Can you hear me?". She touched the man and he moved. He was unconcious, but regaining conciousness quickly. She calmed herself down, not to do something stupid. This might be a "First Contact"- Event and she tried to remember that E-Learning they had for this situation. What were those five rules again? Decontaminate - Communicate? Secure? Contain? She had forgotten everything. An alien entity. Possibly carrying alien pathogens. If so her Hazmat suit was protecting her from his germs while the clean room was protecting him from hers. She did not want him to die from Smallpox or Measles or the common flu. He needed to get vaccinated asap.  
His eyes shut open and he let out a loud scream while fighting away invisible attackers, yet still lying on the floor. She was startled and jumped back, yet her caring character took over immediately and she asked him: “Are you hurt? Do you understand me?” The man seemed to be confused and blinded by the lights, his heart was beating fast and his lids fluttered  
Lotor was embarassed about his screaming but a moment ago he had been propelled into the rift by an explosion. Where was he? He was lying on the hard cold ground of a hall. A heavily breathing shadow was bent over him. A woman was looking at him out of a very ugly spacesuit with a gigantic helmet. . “Obvek te Ver??” - “Do you speak English? Français? Deutsch?” He adjusted something behind his ear. His eyes had blue irises in yellow sclera. He was jaundiced already? Dying? Scientist felt utterly helpless and just exhaled to regain her composure. "I need to go back! Allura! I need to go back! NOW!"   
She looked so weirdly disproportional with the helmet that he couldn't help but stare at her. He felt the urge to laugh out loud, but his Galran discipline was stronger, so he just coughed awkwardly. All his bones were aching. How long had he been lying here? He tried to get up but he felt groggy like after a hangover. Slimey green goo was hanging from his arms. What was this?  
The woman looked human. She smiled and Lotor asked her in Galran where he was. She just shrugged and had a very weird smile on her face. The interspacial sign for "I don't know what you're saying.". Lotor adjusted his earpiece and repeated, now in English (the only Earth language software he had, to talk with the Paladins which gave him a very posh English accent). "I am Lotor, Emperor of the Galra Empire." - "I am Mya Moonseeker, Scientist, Engineer and Earth." The Scientist cursed internally, who ever did say anything this stupid? "I mean you are on Earth and I am a human, an inhabitant of Earth.- "Where am I?" - "You are in Geneva, at CERN. A scientific institute where we study spacetime and quantum physics. There was a fluctuation in the air and you popped out of it and dropped on the floor." - "What??" - "You just fell out of the air, like this. Plop. Are you alright?" Lotor sat up and patted himself down. He immediately got entangled in the goo and felt like retching. "What on Earth?! My HAIR!!!", Lotor was totally distraught. He tried to remove the goo from his hair, but failed. The scientist was a gentle soul, alien or not, this man needed her help. "Please get up, and follow me! I know how we can clean you up!"  
Lotor got up and stretched himself. He seemed very distraught, sad, yet calm and composed enough for her to continue to talk to him. Moonseeker sighed and led him to the decontamination chamber. She pointed at his suit. Lotor looked at her with a blank stare and started to undress until he was naked. The Scientist tried not to grin, but she liked very much what she saw. His skin was purple and she felt the urge to touch it. Her interest in alien anatomy had just been ignited. This was getting better by the minute. "Stand here. Don't be afraid. It's just water, but it will come gushing from all sides, like a Vichy shower." - "What is a Vichy shower?" - "A room with shower tops all over..." Lotor positioned himself in the decontamination chamber. He was so tall that his head almost hit the roof. The jets would really be strong and there was no way to adjust them." She pushed the button. A weird hydraulic sound was heard and then the water came gushing in like in a car wash. Lotor stood still although Scientist feared for his hair and other body parts. After five minutes the decontamination program was over and Lotor came out of the chamber with a deadpan stare and dripping like a wet poodle. While he tried to dry himself with a fire extinction blanket the scientist had produced, she did another decontamination with his armour. "That wasn't that bad, was it?", she tried to cheer him up, but he seemed exhausted but well hydrated. He looked cute wrapped in his blanket. She offered him a chair to sit down. He was shivering and held his head between his hands and just stared onto the floor saying nothing, while she was mopping away the green goo from the lab floor.

She remembered. In difficult situations keep the dialogue going. Create a relationship to diffuse tension. "Have you been to Earth before, Emperor Lotor?", Scientist asked him while she assessed how dry his suit was. Lotor looked at her and nodded and told her that he had met inhabitants of Earth, albeit just briefly on a space ship. He asked her about the year and she told him that it was the year 2024. Lotor gasped. He had performed a thousand year time jump. Lotors face must have paled, as the Scientist immediately touched his arm and asked him if he was alright. He recoiled instinctively and the scientist immediately apologized, while blushing again. He saw that she was blushing even beneath the silly helmet.

Although the situation was very unusual, she was very factual and composed. He admired her control. She had no weapon and there were no weapons in the room either. But she was in charge and it was clear to him that she was assessing the situation constantly. Her voice was so calming, so reassuring, even though it was distorted by the ugly helmet. Lotor felt sick looking at it, he had a sophisticated sense of design and this was just an eyesore. He tried to stay concentrated on what she was telling him, but he was getting lost in her voice. She told him about the vaccination problem. He had been in contact with the Paladins, but this was Earth before the Third War had decimated the population. Lotor shook his head..."The time I came from is past the year 3000. I ought to get some immunization, I am afraid..." The Scientist bid him to stay in the chamber and left through a secure gate. Lotor rose and looked at the long tubes running through the hall. There were pamphlets on the walls, computers, machinery. All very archaic compared to Altean or Galran technology, but apparently functional enough to rip into spacetime and have him pop out of the rift. The room was very arid and light yet it did not have any window. He had no idea if he was below ground or on a high rise. Half an hour later, which felt like an eternity to Lotor, she entered the room again with another Hazmat Suit. "We cannot be 100% secure, but if you tear this plastic wrapping open now the suit will be absolutely germ free. You can put it on over your suit and will have a secure environment. I will take you to a friend to get your shots. Albeit they'll be inactive virae in serum, I hope you won't have any allergic reaction to eggs...?" - "I have had Earth bird eggs before. One of the humans I knew was a cook. He gave us eggs and milk to taste." The scientist nodded. That was a promising start. "I need to get to space! I need to warn myself about what will happen, so that we can change everything! I have a thousand years to come up with something else..." The scientist looked at him suspiciously. "A thousand years? What is your life expectancy? We humans just live a hundred years if we're more than lucky..." Lotor looked at her shattered. "Just a mere hundred years!?" The scientist bid Lotor to wait and left the room to get something. Time passed and Lotor put on his still damp suit again. He hated being vulnerable and sitting around naked in another time on an unknown planet was too risky for his taste.

She had produced the largest hazmat suit she was able to find, yet it just barely fit Lotor. She had also used the time to cut a loop into the security footage and fake the time stamps. The Scientist and Lotor left the room through the secure gate. On the other side the Scientist initiated the decontamination protocol for the testing hall and several valves started pressing decontaminating gas into the room. The Scientist needed to get Lotor out of the facility. It was highly secured but like always getting out was way easier than getting in. Once they were in the office she explained her plan to Lotor. She had taken off her Hazmat suit and Lotor looked at her warm and vivid face which was framed by long dark hair contained rather unsuccessfully in a messy braid. She was gesticulating heavily and explaining her plan, while he just looked at her shining eyes and wondered if she was always this high strung.

They had to play the same person, which was silly because Lotor was so tall and the scientist was not. Yet they had no choice. The Scientist drew up a plan. At first Lotor would use her badge to go down to the garage by clocking out and using the badge to open all doors. He would be wearing the Hazmat suit. The Scientist took out a felt pen and started writing on Lotors chest. Lotor felt a bit uncomfortable, so he asked her what she was doing. She explained that she wrote "Celebration! Eureka! We made it!!!" on the Hazmat suit. Everybody would think he was part of the team and was planning some prank for the celebration. He'd then hide in one of the toilet stalls of the garage. As it was late he was not supposed to see anyone, but this cover would stick at least until they left for the security gates. Next she would use one of the guest badges to get down to the garage and meet Lotor there. Then Lotor would hide in her car while she would drive out.

They executed the plan as concocted but then they faced an unexpected problem: Lotor was too tall to hide in the Scientists puny Fiat 500. So he squeezed himself on the seat next to her. The scientist improvised and gave him the Guest badge: "Congratulations, you're now Dr. Hartwig Singh, the famous particle physicist..." She put on loud music and told Lotor to act drunk, she even found an empty champagne bottle in the recycling bin and handed it to him. Then they drove. At the gate the doorman checked their badges. "Dr. Singh? I have no registration that you checked in today?" The Scientist chimed in: "Aah, you know Dr. DeSouza. The delegation was so big, it might be they just got rushed in. Hartwig is here almost every week anyway." The doorman shrugged and wished them happy celebration. The Scientist waved at the doorman and sped away...


	2. Chapter 2: Above everything is silence and peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Scientist Moonseeker and Lotor are on their way to get Lotor vaccinated. Where is the best place to go with an Alien entity?

Moonseeker drove Lotor to the center of Geneva town into a quaint side alley. Lotor was still wearing the Hazmat suit and was feeling very hot and could barely breathe. They both were silent. Lotor was lost in thoughts. He tried to shift in the seat, but to no avail. The car was tiny and he felt utterly uncomfortable. Moonseeker noticed Lotors unhappiness and cheered him up by turning on the radio. "Do you like music? Let's listen to something calming. I think we can use that..." She selected the classical music channel where Debussy's Claire de Lune was playing. Lotor listened to the music and closed his eyes. It sounded beautiful. The melody relaxed him and released emotions of happiness and serenity. He was losing himself in the melody, getting all carried away but then the car stopped. He looked beautifully lost in thoughts, Moonseeker thought. She got out, took out her phone and called someone. A few minutes later a window opened and then a women draped in a shawl came rushing down... "What are you doing here? You cannot bring him here, it's too dangerous! C'est trop dangereux! Ne personne doit le voir!" - "I did not know where else to go, Eloise, je te prie, pour l'amour de dieu, carine! He needs the shots. Measles, flu, diphterie, cholera, tetanus, all you have." - "Zut, bien. One moment!" The lady vanished in the house again. They waited. A few moments later she came out into the alley and peered into the car. When she saw the hazmat suit she let out a faint cry: "C'est quelle merde ça? WTF? I cannot vaccine him like this? Here. You take the vaccines. You'll have to do them all. Subcutaneous, just hit him with the syringes. Good luck!" Then she vanished again as a man was calling her name from the window above.  
Moonseeker got into the car and looked at Lotor. Now he was looking silly in his hazmat suit. "We have to find a place which is as little contaminated as possible and I have a great idea, where that could be. We'll be driving about an hour. Your oxygen filter should filter out the worst from the atmosphere. I am sorry, you'll have to endure the constriction of this car for now, I am sorry..." - "I need to find a way to find myself in this space time. We need a space ship. Do you have space ships? You are not yet in the spacefaring age, are you?" Lotor looked utterly distraught, his eyes wide in horror. "We will figure out a solution, Emperor! But we need to take one step at a time. First we need to prep you up for the year 2024, then we will sit down and discuss how you can contact your home planet or where ever you want to go..." - "I have no home planet... just... I need to contact myself or any friend... if I have any friends at all..." - "I am not an Empress or anybody famous, I am just a scientist. But I will help you."  
Lotor nodded and looked out of the window. The lights of the city glistened like diamonds and the streets were full of people. They left the city and they passed meadows and little villages until they drove up into the mountains. They drove serpentines, higher and higher. His ears started hurting, they were way over 1500m, yet she kept on driving until they reached a village. When they got out of the car Lotor stretched himself and his aching joints.  
It was in the middle of the night now. The ropeways had all stopped working except the ropeway for materials transport. The scientist gestured him to sit into the tiny cubicle and then she manipulated the levers and the cubicle set in motion. They saw the car way below getting smaller as they ascended to a height of 2800m. The scientist took his fine long fingered hands. "Breathe slowly. There is less oxygen on that height. You might feel a bit dizzy. My ancestors were mountain people I can breathe in 3000m altitude, as my blood is different and I am used to be this up high. Lotor closed his eyes. He heard the blood in his ears, pulsating. But his Galran physiology adapted quickly to environmental changes. Finally the ropeway stopped and they jumped out into the snow. "You can take off your Hazmat suit here. In this height in this cold you're unlikely to find many pathogens." Lotor took of his helmet and was relieved to breathe. His hair was flowing in the cold air. It was pitch dark, only the station hut was emitting some light. It was cold, around -3C yet Lotor took off the top of his suit and held out his arm. The scientist took out the vaccines, cleaned Lotors skin with an alcohol patch and then one by one jammed the injections in. "Congratulations!"  
Shortly after the injections Lotor felt his immune reaction kicking in. He was getting feverish. He had put his suit on again, but he was freezing. The Scientist was also shivering and ushering him to the station hut. The scientist searched for the usual spare key under the doormat, in the pot and finally found it on the door frame. They entered the station and it was heated. "I know this place...", she said. "I worked here during my student years. Delivering goods up and down from the valley to the hill station for my university's glaciologist team. They take core samples from the permafrost and send them down to analyze climate fluctuations throughout the history of our planet.. Every hill station is open for lost wanderers and that's what we are now. " Lotor was tired. The hut consisted of a main room with an attached kitchen and a second floor with bedrooms and bath rooms. The cellar hosted a room for the skiing equipment and laundry facilities. The usual setup of a traditional Swiss skiing hut. Moonseeker put up a kettle and rummaged through the kitchen cabinets until she found tea. Then she handed a cup of steaming hot tea and a slab of ovaltine chocolate to Lotor, who drank impatiently. He was dehydrated. He looked at the chocolate with a confused gaze and the beaming scientist explained: "Eat this. Chocolate saved many lives in the mountains, when mountaineers got lost and needed quick sugar to withstand the cold." Lotor ate the chocolate and felt blissful. His fever was rising and he needed rest. "I really need to rest now...", he muttered.  
"I'll show you to your room. There are beds upstairs, you can rest there." They climbed up a ridiculously narrow staircase and reached the upper floor. Another inch and Lotor's head would have bumped against the low ceiling. Every room hosted two bunk beds. Lotor fell onto the next bunk and passed out.


	3. Back to Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How to hide a seven feet tall alien in the open? How to cope with feelings for someone you've just met and who makes you go on a wild adventure?

Lotor woke up. He was blinded by the light, he had a slight headache. Light was shining through the windows. Lotor was wearing his space suit and his bones were all achey. He walked over to the window and looked out, mouth agape: Outside was only stone, no plant, grass, nothing and in front of the window an impressive mountain range with peaks covered in glistening white snow. It was absolutely silent. No song of bird, no sound of leaves in the wind, nothing. Lotor watched the scenery and started to remember how he got here. He only remembered collapsing on the bed. When he woke, he had been covered with a blanket. Moonseeker must have taken care of him. He heard noise from below and decided to look for her.  
Moonseeker was sitting at the table, an old map of Europe outstretched in front of her, next to her an open laptop secured with Tor encryption. She was taking notes on her phone. Switzerland is a very organized country and you have mobile access everywhere, even on the highest mountain top.  
She had heard Lotor wake upstairs, but she wanted to give him the privacy to join her if and when he wanted. She had risen early and had tried to figure out if she knew anyone at ESA in Darmstadt Germany who could help them. They needed to proceed carefully. An Alien entity. Moonseeker did not want Lotor to be abducted by some intelligence agency or overeager scientists or the Pharma industry always eager to find new ways to cash in. She worked with them before and knew that a snapped neck was a matter of seconds if you were not cautious.  
When she looked up she saw Lotor standing in the doorway. His hair was shiny. He must have found the shampoo in the bathroom, she thought, grinning internally. "You are awake! How are you feeling?" - "Fine, so far. How far up are we?" - "Around 2900m. I am happy that your lungs adjusted to the height. Are you comfortable? Is your suit warm enough?" - "Yes, I am ok. I cannot thank you enough. You rescued me!" Moonseeker blushed and smiled, pointing at Lotor to join her at the table. He sat down right next to her and Moonseeker felt warm. Her eyes glanced over to him and she blushed again when she noticed that he also was watching her... Lotor averted his eyes and looked at the map with a questioning look.  
"What are you doing?" - "I am trying to figure out where we could go next. We cannot stay here for long. And it is dangerous for you out there. You are an Alien, you look different. There are many people who would want you for their own gain..." - "I understand...", Lotor said thoughtfully. "If only I had any of the technology of my time, any spacefaring technology. All I have is my sword...". "You do not have any communicator or anything we could modify for another purpose on you?" - "No... just my sword...". Lotor paced around in the room like a tiger in a cage. "I need to contact somebody. I cannot stay here. The future of the whole universe is at stake. I was torn out of a war, in the middle of battle. Horrible things will happen if I am not there to control my people and bring peace to the Universe!". Moonseeker looked at him. She had no clue how to proceed. Of course she knew quite a few scientists who knew about military grade research on Spacetime travel, but contacting them would endanger Lotor and herself. She locked eyes with Lotor: "We need to move in a way that people do not notice or abduct you or endanger you even further.". Lotor looked thoughtful. "I can't vanish into thin air... I am tall, I cannot hide easily...", he grimaced and sat down with drooping shoulders.  
Moonseeker's voice became soft. She almost whispered. "We will find a way. We as a species may not yet have explored much of space, only sent up robotic sentries to our neighbouring planets. Could you build a spaceship, if we'd get the materials for it?" Lotor sighed. "I don't know if Earth has all the materials in the year 2024 we would need ... but maybe I could build a communication device to call out to some of my associates..." Lotor started jotting down ideas to build a communicator. It was noon. The sun was shining through the windows, heating up the wooden panels and warming Lotors back. He felt comfy sitting in the sun. He just loved sitting in the sun. He took his notes to the sunniest spot in the room which happened to be on the floor. In the meantime Moonseeker opened a hidden kitchen cabinet and called out triumphantly: "I found it! Tinned ravioli. The worst food ever, but the only thing we have!". To Lotor the hot ravioli tasted delicious, he only noticed how hungry he was once he ate his first bite. He felt relaxed. Food and warm sunlight made him drowsy.  
He was in another time, in another space, but in this wooden hut, high above, he started feeling at peace since a very long time. He was almost dozing away when he suddenly remembered. There was a way out. There was ONE ship on Earth they could use. He looked at the map. Europe. The solution was not in Europe, it was in the Grand Canyon. He jumped up.  
"I have a solution! There is a ship buried in the Grand Canyon!" Moonseeker looked at him incredulously.  
"The Grand Canyon?!" Lotor told her about the Paladins of Voltron and how the Blue Lion had been lost in the Grand Canyon. He knew where it was. They only had to retrieve it and if they were lucky, it would allow them to use its technology. And if not, they'd try to open the trunk of the ship to see if there were any materials they could use to build a vessel.  
Mooseeker felt anxious. "How on Earth shall I get you to the Grand Canyon? You're an alien, and the Grand Canyon is in the United States. They don't like foreigners much, particularly illegal immigrants. I have a Swiss passport, I can travel to the US freely, but you?!" Moonseeker shook her head. She had enough on her savings account for a round trip for two to the US and back (the US would not let them enter with only a One-Way-Ticket...). "Look Lotor, they want registration beforehand, they'll want my bank statements and whatnot to get into the US. But we'll find a way. There is always a way." Moonseeker paced up and down, then she went on her laptop, then she laughed out loudly, shook her head and started pacing around again. "What are you doing?", Lotor asked.  
"It is very hard to get into the US if you are poor. But if you are rich, things look very different. First I need you to sit down in front of this white wall. Look straight, don't smile." Lotor positioned himself and looked at her with a critical gaze. He was not used to being commandeered around, but Moonseeker seemed to have a plan and he just wanted to find a way out of Earth 2024.  
"I know one person who can help us. We might end up in danger or in a very crazy adventure. Do you trust me on this?", Moonseeker asked Lotor, who was leaning against the wall now. "I have not many options, have I? If I go out people will notice immediately that I am not human, if I contact authorities they might experiment on me and if I stay here I will be found by the next people coming to this hut."  
Moonseeker took a picture with her phone and sent it to a friend of hers in Lithuania. Then she called him up over a double encrypted channel on Threema.  
"Hello Jean-Claude! How are things with you?", they bantered for a while until Moonseeker cut to the chase..."I need a favour from you. A challenge. Almost inachievable task. But something a man of your connections can surely advise me on?" - "What will I get in return?" - "You rememer that poster, that hung on your wall in Vilnius?" - "I want to believe? Hahaha... alien technology, you're pulling my leg..." - "I just sent you a picture..." - "Wait a second... Holy mother of God! What the... who is this handsome man?" - "I need papers for him. We need to enter the US. No questions asked. Tricky, nah?" There was silence on the other side. Moonseeker was sweating, her brows were furrowed. She had risked a lot in contacting Jean-Claude, but getting fake papers from the Darknet had not been an option for her and she had known and trusted Jean-Claude all her life. She had sheltered him when he had arrived half dead at her door step from some secret assignment and healed him back to life, dried his tears when he broke up with his boyfriend and was his pansexual wingwoman when he was trying to woo his new crush. Sometimes she wondered if every second person in Switzerland was some sort of spy. This time it was him who owed her a favour. "Can you meet me in three days at the Wave Gothic Festival in Leipzig, let's say Sunday at noon in front of the Sixtina? I'll get him a legit Lithuanian passport with visa for the US and a quick registration for you. In turn you can help one of my clients with a problem... " - "What kind of favour...? I hope it's nothing illegal..." - "It's a bit... grey... but not illegal. Not at all illegal. Your friend will have a valid lithuanian citizenship." Moonseeker was shaking after she set down the phone. She was getting herself in trouble. She hated being in trouble. Her job at CERN was her way out. Respectable scientific work, erasing the memories of the past, of working for the military industrial complex and corporations always half a dagger in her back. She sighed, her fingers trembled, she was afraid. Lotor came up to her, kneeled down and took her hands. "Why are you doing this for me?" She looked into his eyes and shrugged. "You don't have anyone else and you fell into MY lab. I feel responsible for you. And if I can help, I help." Lotor squeezed her hands. "I am grateful for your help, but I fear I may be endangering you and your whole planet. My father Zarkon is still in power in this year and if he senses my presence, he may focus his attention on this quadrant and discover Earth... the consequences would be lethal for everyone. We need to act fast."  
Moonseeker had a plan. Seven foot tall purple Alien, she'd seen stranger things at the Fantasy Basel Comic Con or at the Wave Gothic Festival. They'd need to seek a path to Leipzig and then try to get seats on a private jet from Berlin or Frankfurt to the US. Coach passengers were checked thoroughly, but private passengers had a free pass most of the time. Moonseeker reserved a large Volvo Sedan as a rental. After resting early they rose in the middle of the night and drove down to Geneva to switch cars and get Moonseekers passport, Moonseeker changed into black jeans, a DAF T-Shirt and her old black leather jacket. She packed a backpack with clothes and food. Lotor was so tall that none of her clothes were of any use to him.  
While Moonseeker was packing Lotor inspected her living room. Books and paintings everywhere. An absentminded smile graced his face when his fingers moved over the backs of the books. He had learnt to read English with the paladins. So many stories. And the paintings showed women and landscapes of farway places. There was a yearning for adventure present in every nook and cranny of the tiny apartment she lived in. He started to understand why she was so eager to help him. He watched her pack her backpack and felt a pang of a feeling he had not felt in a long time. It was not the same feeling he had felt for Allura. It was something different. Something he could not quite pinpoint yet.  
Later in the car he looked out of the window and made plans on how to activate the Blue Lion. They drove on the empty highway north. Only trucks were on the highway. They passed Basel after two hours, where they stopped in a forest to take a walk. Then they passed through Mannheim and drove towards Frankfurt where they again stopped in a secluded area. A few times Moonseeker made phonecalls, usually very cheerful ones. To get to Leipzig they'd have to drive through former Eastern Germany. Some of the people there were Neonazis, so they needed to be careful where to stop, if at all. Lotor sat in front during the night, but during day he preferred the backseat, as the windows were tinted and his purple color was disguised in that way. Moonseeker noticed that she cared about Emperor Lotor, she enjoyed his company, albeit the circumstances were very unusual. His mood though was very sombre, he was not used to be powerless. It reminded him too much of his past.  
A few kilometers ahead of Leipzig, starting from Marburg already the people in the cars started to change. Everyone was wearing black, many had colorful hair. Moonseeker stopped by the roadside, got out, took out her backpack and started undressing. Lotor opened the window: "What are you doing?!" - "I am getting READY!", she said while putting on her corset. "Help me, will you, love. Pull these strings and tie them together. More. Yes. Tighter." Lotor admired her curves. She was wearing a white loose shirt, a black corset over it and black jeans. Then she put on dark lipstick and eye make up. "THIS is my disguise. Get used to the look. You'll be next.".

Early evening they arrived in Leipzig. They drove to a street called Kastanienallee 117. Old derelict buildings from the GDR period were being torn down on both sides, but one was still standing. Moonseeker walked to the door and rang the bell. Soon after two black clad women in corsets came rushing down. There was a lot of hugging, dancing and jumping. After the welcome, Lotor got out of the car and was rushed in by the ladies into the house.  
This was Maggies grandma's house. Maggie had moved west decades ago, but the house still belonged to her and once a year during WGT it was full of Goths who needed a free place to stay. Moonseeker had been friends with Maggie for years and had also stayed at Kastanienallee many times before. Maggie had kept her word and produced a bag with clothes. "This guy is amazing! This makeup is woke!". She had asked all her friends who were over 6.5 ft tall (and there were many tall Goths in Germany) to donate clothes for Lotor. In no time Lotor was outfitted in black. The next thing was white and black face paint and he looked like a band member of Dimmu Borgir.  
"Congratulations, Lotor! Here nobody will notice you. You're just another tall hot goth." And truly, he was praised by many people but he drew no suspicion. To celebrate they all went to Moritzbastei where a concert was already talking place. Lotor was shook. The make up was itching and he did not know where to set his eyes on. There were people with massive swords and axes, but everyone was peaceful. The whole place was swarming with people clad in black, many with face paints, some with fangs, horns, some even wore hooves or had gigantic wings. Moonseeker grabbed his hands and pulled him through the crowd. It was late at night and a full moon was out. It was a wonderful atmosphere in which the remote beats of the EBM dancefloor permeated the night air. They finally sat down on a bench in a park, tired but happy and holding hands. Moonseeker raised her hand to adjust Lotors Makeup when he started to glow. "It's your touch...", he said holding her hand when she tried to pull it back. She touched him again. He smiled and glowed even stronger. When she bit her lips he could not hesitate any longer and kissed her, his glow getting stronger.  
***  
Far away Haggar was in deep meditation when she felt something. A presence. Far away. A glitch in reality. She opened her eyes and rushed to Zarkon.  
***


	4. Going West

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor and Moonseeker are desperate. In order to get Lotor back to space they need to find the Blue Lion which is somewhere in the Grand Canyon. Lotor and Moonseeker discover their feelings for each other, yet try to fight these feelings for different reasons.

It was early morning when Lotor woke. He remembered kissing Moonseeker the night before. He had kissed her and his marks had glown. This for sure meant something, but he did not know what. 

After their walk in the park they had gone to a very loud concert after which they tumbled home and fell asleep on the mattresses on the floor. He wore nothing but his underwear. He remembered the night before, after kissing her at the concert he retreated. He thought about the war, the Galra, he did not want to involve her in all of that. So he just started avoiding her. Cooling his feelings down. Feelings? He did not have any feelings. He was not allowed to have any feelings, not while a war was raging and while people out there would do anything to hurt people he associated himself with.  
Moonseeker was standing at the window, her serious face scanning the road. It was seven AM and they were supposed to meet with Jean-Claude at Noon. He wondered what kind of man Jean-Claude was, was he trustworthy? Was Moonseeker trustworthy? His age had made him wise and cautious. "Good morning, you're already up?", Lotor said. Moonseeker turned around and feigned a smile. She looked at him, scanning every expression on his face, analysing him. She had felt his reluctance, hesitation and how he retreated. She was hurt at first, but she understood. He was coping with a lot and they needed to focus on their task at hand. Finally she replied in a cold and professional tone: "I hope Jean-Claude can deliver. If not, we'll still end up in a weird adventure. He is a good guy. We should move." They got ready, grabbed some breakfast in the empty kitchen. Everyone else had partied until late and was still sleeping. With their luggage in hand they stepped out into the morning sun. Kastanienallee was a street lined with chestnut trees in which sparrows were singing. Lotor was delighted when he spotted them.

The city still was full of people dressed in black stumbling about trying to find a place to eat breakfast, brunch or an early lunch. Eating, drinking, music and black humour fuelled the goths, who surprisingly in Germany were a very cheerful bunch of people. 

The Sixtina was a bar in Leipzig. A baroque hearse was parked in front of it with a skeleton dangling from its roof. It was halloween everywhere during WGT. A man was leaning against the hearse. He was wearing a plain black T-shirt, black trousers, his face was nondescript, just as everything on him. He did fade into the scenery. Jean-Claude was a shadow by looking totally unremarkable. But when he saw Moonseeker he beamed up: "KITTEN!!!!" - Moonseeker threw herself in his arms, they hugged and danced and were very merry to see each other. Lotor wondered if every person greeted Moonseeker like that. He had perceived that other people did not cheer eachother like she did. And that dance! Moonseeker introduced Jean-Claude to Lotor. "Behold this beautiful man, Moonseeker, you bring me an early Christmas present here! I am enchanted to meet you, Lotor Lord of the Galra!" - "Prince Lotor, Emperor of the Galra, pleased to meet you, Jean-Claude...." Jean-Claude was known among his friends to spend his life by travelling the world and following his carnal inclination for handsome men. It was obvious that he was totally smitten by Lotor. Moonseeker smirked. "Can you deny any favour to a person of such splendour?", Moonseeker asked him. Jean-Claude bowed theatrically: "I cannot and I will not. I have something for you."  
They went into the bar and sat down in the far end under the Sixtine Chapel painting on the roof. They ordered Green Tea with Absinthe, the goth way to wake up and Jean-Claude produced an envelope which he pulled back before Moonseeker could grab it. "Mya, love, I have here a legit Lithuanian passport for your friend under the perfectly plausible Lithuanian name Lotarius Galrenas. I am entitled to give him the Lithuanian citizenship IF you do a favour for me." Lotor shifted around nervously on his seat and wondered if the favour was of erotic nature... he was pansexual and open towards carnal pleasures with aliens of all genders but the whole situation was a little weird. But he had done worse for transportation, so...

Moonseeker shrugged and looked at Lotor, Lotor nodded. Jean-Claude leaned back and took a sip from his tea. "I have a problem. You know Caspar Stone?" - "Rockstar Caspar Stone?" - "The same... he is supposed to get awarded at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, but he is convinced that some conservative American nutcase is out there to kill him. So he is refusing to go to the US. My marketing agency plans his tour and him not appearing will make us the target of liability claims... I cannot afford a lawsuit at the moment... All we need is someone of his height, with long hair to be there, give a speech and leave posing as him. And I thought of our friend Lotarius here..." - "Jean-Claude, the pictures will be all over the press on this planet! They'll notice that he's purple!!!" - "No, it will be dark, concert setting, you're smart... Caspar always wears white facepaint, like a good black metaller does, pulling the full Paul Stanley look. You can use Caspar Stones private jet to get to the US and the transfer to the Grand Canyon... If you agree, I can have make-up transform Lotor here in no time. The jet is waiting at Berlin airport... as a Swiss you Moonseeker don't need a visa for the US, just a registration. My team has already taken care of all formalities." The deal was too tempting and they had to go to the US at all cost and agreed. Private jets don't have long security lines. Jean-Claude handed them the passports.

They expected a black van to arrive, but instead a plussized lady with red bangs and tattoos arrived with a VW station wagon. She introduced herself as Maike and drove them to an empty factory hall where her blonde twin sister Silke was waiting with a portable make up kit. She opened her Make-Up suitcase and produced skin-colored water and showerproof concealers and transformed Lotor to a human looking man. She gave him an instruction on how to mend his make-up and how to apply his white stage make-up. Then she handed him his clothes, black jeans, a vintage Black Sabbath T-Shirt and a studded leather jacket. Only his purple ears were peeking out. She fixed it by handing him a ridiculous looking top hat, apologizing for it. Finally she produced some signature Doc Martens boots and ready was the Caspar Stone look for Lotor. They asked Moonseeker to put on her goth clothes. She chose a long red-black velvet dress, horns in her hair. Her typical goth-hippie-festival look. A groupie, nothing more.  
Ten minutes later a black limousine stopped in front of the factory to pick them up. In the limousine sat Jean-Claude and Ritzo, the tour manager. Ritzo was a slightly nervous sinewy guy from the West Indies, he was wearing a white linen T-shirt under his black suit. "He looks good. He looks like Casp. I think it will work. If not we'll all end up in jail and I will have failed the mother of my children once again..." He was silently chanting a mantra and counting his prayer beads. Lotor sat next to Moonseeker and looked very uncomfortable. Moonseeker took his hand and he tried to smile back. So much had happened within a week and he was afraid that the Galra would find out about his whereabouts and target the planet.

They arrived at the private airport gates in Berlin. Their tour manager took all passports and handed them to the security officer who merely glanced over them. Then their baggage was loaded into the waiting Lear Jet and they boarded the plane directly from the runway. It was a standard Lear Jet with soft cream coloured leather seats. Lotor sank into his chair. He would have loved to pilot this vehicle instead, but it would blow his cover. "So how does such a musicmaker behave...", Lotor pondered. Mya had given him a short overview of some rock star antics from color coded M&Ms to drug overdoses and health fads. He decided to play the health guru trip, which was the safest way to avoid unintended exposure to drugs or tainted drinks. On Caspar Stone's level everything was highly professionalized. His record company required weekly urine and health checks to ensure his fitness for the stage. Lotor grabbed a Rolling Stone magazine and looked at it as bored as he could. The plane took off and darted into the steel grey Berlin sky.  
A girl called Skippy, dressed in a sky blue fantasy uniform, was stewarding the flight and brought refreshments. She tried to get Lotor's attention, but Lotor just asked for a glass of water and continued to stare out of the window.  
Once the plane had been airborne for two hours and they had eaten their vegan dinner, the lights dimmed down. Ritzo was meditating. Then Lotor decided to pull full Rockstar and go to sleep. Moonseeker watched him. It was difficult to tell what he was feeling. She felt like hugging him, but she knew he wanted some distance, so she just drank her tea, waiting and worrying over him. They had a purpose and they would try their best. There was nothing else to do. Moonseeker looked out of the window and dozed off too...  
****

"Emperor Zarkon, you need to listen to me. Something has changed with Lotor. I felt his presence once, but now I feel it twice, as if there were two of him." Haggar bowed down and awaited her emperors orders.  
Zarkon sat on his throne, his face expressionless. Finally he nodded slowly. "Then send out your spies. Find out what this is about, just don't bother me with it..."  
Haggar left with her entourage towards the quintessence research facility in her ship. She needed energy to locate her sons.

****  
A few hours later they landed at Cleveland airport. Landing directly at a regional airport again reduced security checks and they were picked up by a black Tesla limousine which took them to their hotel. In front of the airport a huge crowd of fans was holding up Caspar signs. Lotor grinned and waved at the crowd. "It helps being an Emperor...! At home nobody ever cheers for me! I am starting to like this! Can we listen to some music? Maybe my last album?" The driver nodded and started to stream the music. Blaring guitars and basslines vibrated through the Tesla. Lotor was listening intently. Black Metal, in it's musical complexity, references to classical music and multiple layers often was hard to understand, but he seemed to like it, particularly the guitar parts and the orchestral arrangements.  
A huge crowd was waiting in front of the hotel. Many of the people wore black and wore facepaint. Lotor noticed a group which was cordoned off by the police. They did not look too friendly. "Religious extremists...", Moonseeker explained and Lotor remembered why Caspar did refuse to go to the US. Some security personnel cordoned off the entry of the hotel, and they quickly proceeded towards the elevators towards the top floor suites.  
Moonseeker smiled. Lotor had the presidential suite! It had been a long time since she had spent a night in such a lavish environment. Lotor pulled her into the room and closed it, shutting Ritzo out who mopingly went to his own room.  
As soon as he had closed the door Lotor's cool Rockstar façade faded and he nervously paced around the room. "I have no clue what I am doing!", he finally exhaled and looked at Moonseeker with desperate eyes. "I can neither sing, nor play an instrument... what was I thinking? All these people!!!" Moonseeker shrugged. "Look, most Rockstars in the 90's were on drugs or drunk and still sold records and played shows. They had no clue either. Nobody ever has a clue, there is nothing more Rockstarish than having no clue..." Lotor sat on the bedside and watched Moonseeker check the room. "Why are you checking the lamps and the curtains?" - "Cameras and listening devices. You should stay away from the windows. There are high rise buildings with direct shots to this room. You have many enemies, Lotarius Caspar Brazenas Stone. I had another life before I became a scientist, all this is not too unfamiliar to me... I have noticed a few paparazzi on the roof taking shots. Let's give them a show..." Moonseeker started to undress, posing at the window and finally she closed the curtains in nothing but her underwear. Lotor couldn't take his eyes off her. "Now we have privacy for a few hours without anyone questioning what we are doing!" Moonseeker said with a laugh, while she opened the minibar, got them some drinks and snacks and jumped on the bed - with her laptop! "Now show me where the Blue Lion is!"

They both were sitting on the bed looking on the screen which showed an enlarged view of the Grand Canyon on Google Maps. The Grand Canyon was enormous. Moonseeker was pointing at every suspicious rock in the Canyon, but Lotor was just looking at the curve of her back, wondering about the taste of her skin. He absentmindedly caressed the hair falling on her shoulder and when she turned around surprised, he kissed her neck. She closed her eyes and felt his breath on her earlobe. Moonseeker put her laptop away and turned around facing Lotor. A faint smile was gracing his face. She smiled back at him tugging his shirt. "So are we playing Rockstar now?", she whispered and he laughed pulling her towards him. A voice in his head told him "What am I doing?", but the voice faded away and all that was left was his desire to touch her. She lay on him and gently moved aside his long hair. His kiss tasted of grapes. I am making out with an alien, her inner voice said while she got lost in his kisses, feeling his warm skin on hers, the touch of his fingers and his lips seeking, finding, exploring. She tasted him and she was burning up in desire, begging him to sate her. He took his time exploring her with his tongue, enjoying her every moan. Then he entered her, making her gasp when she felt his size, thrusting slowly while their fingers were intertwined. She heard his voice in her ears praising her, guiding her, she smiled and pulled him closer, turning and sitting on him, which took him by surprise. She held his face and kissed him, while increasing the pace. He was lost in her, lost in his own lust. He turned her around again, holding her, thrusting deep into her. He felt her fingernails on his back, her breath on his skin. His thrusting quickened, his control was slipping away, he was so close, he heard his own voice call out her name.


End file.
